Hi all. I am remodeling my kitchen on a very tight and somewhat small budget. I must go with laminate countertops for price considerations, and also because this neighborhood housing market would'nt return an investment in too expensive of a material. That said, we will be staying in this house for years so I want to enjoy this kitchen.
So here's my question. I am installing 36in diagonal corner sink base cabinet. We are planning on a single bowl 22or25in stainless sink. Anyway, I would like to have an undermount sink. I was wondering if I could install laminate countertop on both side of sink, ending at a suitable distance from the sink. Then getting a granite (or other solid) countertop to just do the corner. The granite would actually sit on top of the laminate countertop giving the countertops a sort of architectural flair. I know I would have to build up the sink base or add other support to support the granite which is now higher than the cabinet tops. I would then seal the edges of the granite where it sits on top of the laminate countertop sections. Also have to finish in the top front area of the countertop where the granite would be sitting up off the cabinet edge. Does this sound like something that would work and be nice? If so, any suggestions on how I plan to do it, or another way to do granite/laminate combo? Thanks.

Termite

08-09-2008 11:56 PM

You could certainly transition from granite to laminate on either side of your sink. I'm not sure how the transition will look. It would probably have to be caulked.

First of all, it is your house, so do what you want! However, you're combining high-end and low end materials right next to each other on essentially the same countertop, and that isn't going to appeal to most people. I certainly don't think it will help the re-sale as much as an all-laminate countertop would. Honestly, I think it will look like a mess.

For the sake of looks, have you considered granite tiles? You can get them in 12x12" in many popular colors/patterns. You can certainly get them to match several of the most common granite countertop materials. You could use a solid piece of granite at the sink location and do your undermount sink, and use granite tiles and bullnoses at the remainder of the countertop. They can be spaced pretty close together with very small grout joints, and you could grout the joint between the granite counter and the tiles. The tiles are about $7/sf at the box stores, and the bullnoses for the edges are about $12/lf. I recently considered them for a bathroom job, but opted for solid granite.

EdinDesign

08-10-2008 12:11 AM

I'm sorry, Jetboy... I also must discourage you from doing this. From a design/asthetic perspective, it's just not going to look good.

There are some wonderfull looking laminates in the market these days... are you sure you couldn't go with a top-mount sink and use laminate for the whole counter? Another option - more expensive then laminate but less expensive then granite is a product like corian. You can have an undermount sink with corian. Corian is also a product that works in a market where granite is "too much" for the neighbourhood. Just an idea...

buletbob

08-10-2008 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekctermite
(Post 147389)

For the sake of looks, have you considered granite tiles? You can get them in 12x12" in many popular colors/patterns. You can certainly get them to match several of the most common granite countertop materials. You could use a solid piece of granite at the sink location and do your undermount sink, and use granite tiles and bullnoses at the remainder of the countertop. They can be spaced pretty close together with very small grout joints, and you could grout the joint between the granite counter and the tiles. The tiles are about $7/sf at the box stores, and the bullnoses for the edges are about $12/lf. I recently considered them for a bathroom job, but opted for solid granite.

Might want to re-think this. Maybe caulk,it will flex more.

ccarlisle

08-10-2008 08:57 AM

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I just did a 15' kitchen countertop using 12"x12" granite tiles that actually cost me about $3 each. Not only was it fast to do, but it was waterproof. I used 1/16" grout lines and Kerdi. Did it alone, took me about a day, all told. Cost about $500 in materials.

OK, it had a sink that sat on the top, not an undermount... but it consisted of about 30 tiles, some Kerdi, 5/8" plywood and unmodified thinset. Oh, and a neat stainless steel moulding...

I wouldn't do the mixture laminate/stone thing....sure, it would work but would look, IMO "clumsy". I'd opt for a Corian-type surface throughout, somewhat cheaper than granite but would look the same, and you could put an undermount there too - or granite tiles.

Or just wait till you have the scratch to go the 'stone' route...

Jetboy55

08-10-2008 10:56 AM

thanks so much

thank you so much for your input. You have convinced me that this is not a good idea, and we will not go this route. I am REALLY reluctant to go the tile route because I have never tiled/grouted ANYTHING in my life and I imagine a kitchen countertop really has to be done well. My wife is also concerned with the countertop not being smooth because of the grout lines and having a problem with the grout becoming discolored or stained over the years. We're just not sure we would like tiled countertop. So I will check into the cost of Corian, and maybe just a nice laminate and drop in sink. Thanks alot.